


all eyes on me

by IlanaNight



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Circus, Gen, M/M, Pre-Slash, Trapeze
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-22
Updated: 2019-11-22
Packaged: 2021-02-18 02:22:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,107
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21520330
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IlanaNight/pseuds/IlanaNight
Summary: Caleb likes his quiet life, and he doesn't like to deviate from it. Nothing to draw the attention of the Crownsguard, nothing to risk being noticed. But Nott has a delivery to make to the carnival in town, and he's not about to let her go in to that alone.
Relationships: Mollymauk Tealeaf/Caleb Widogast
Comments: 6
Kudos: 101





	all eyes on me

**Author's Note:**

  * For [redelice](https://archiveofourown.org/users/redelice/gifts).



> This piece was inspired by badassassassin's trapeze artist Mollymauk art on twitter, which you can find here! https://twitter.com/Badassassassin/status/1197640274509541376

If Caleb knew anything about circuses and carnivals, it was that they should be avoided by anyone who didn’t want to be seen. The Crownsguard was especially suspicious of travelling performers, even this far out along the edge of the Empire, and anyone who was seen as too supportive of that kind of vagrancy was immediately placed on their watch list. And so every time one came through town, he made a show of hunkering down in his book and magic shop, closing early and settling down by candlelight to read for the evening. 

For the most part, Nott agreed with his assessment. The carnivals were shiny, sure, and they gave her plenty of opportunities to scratch the itch of her sticky fingers, but they were also dangerous, and Nott knew better than to put them both in a place where they could land in jail again. 

And wanting to keep her safe meant his own self-destructive tendencies couldn’t pull him into the fray and risk getting caught and punished. It was a good system- they had to stay safe for each other, and over time that had turned into staying safe for themselves as well. 

But this time, regrettably, a wrench had been thrown in Caleb’s fool-proof ‘never interact with carnivals’ plan. Nott had received a generous commission request- gold filigree cuffs with jewels hanging down from them on chains, a piece of jewelry that could pay their bills in cost alone for at least the next month. The only caveat? The commissioner was a member of the circus, and needed the piece delivered before the show left town.

A nervous gentleman had dropped off the request and half of the commission as he passed through the shop, promising with a bow and a flourish that whoever this MT was, they would pay the rest in full once the piece was delivered. And truly, with fifty gold already in hand, Nott had no reason not to believe him. 

This, combined with the fact that Caleb would sooner walk into Rexxentrum in his old robes than let Nott wander a carnival by herself and risk exposure, led to the two of them making their way down from town to the brightly colored tents set up just outside the city limits. They were bundled up in coats and cloaks, Nott’s mask pulled up to cover her face- the less they were seen, the better. Truly, Caleb hoped they could simply leave the jewelry with the ticket booth and get out as soon as possible. 

Said ticket booth was more of a tent, actually, and a constant stream of chatter coming from the line within it. Caleb did his best to block the sound out- the last thing he needed was to get overstimulated and have a panic attack here, surrounded by all these people. 

Once they were close enough to the front, though, a lilting, accented voice cut through the din more clearly, “Four of swords- you need to let yourself rest. Your lady’s right about you needing a night off every once in a while- you won’t ever heal until you take a break.” 

Caleb’s eyes nearly rolled back in their sockets- a fortune teller, naturally. It was almost fascinating, really, the art of divination performed without magic. All about reading a person and making up what they wanted to hear- bonus points if the card reader was good at sleights of hand and could pluck out whatever card they felt the person wanted most. 

Less a future revelation and more a character judgement, really. 

But the couple ahead of them seemed content enough with their result, sliding the tiefling behind the table a copper, which they took gratefully, flicking it between all of their fingers before spiriting it off to somewhere unseen- certainly skilled at sleight of hand, then. Caleb pulled his coat tighter around him- he knew from time spent with Nott that people with that level of dexterity were dangerous. 

Coming up to the table, Caleb cleared his throat, getting the tiefling’s attention and earning himself a toothy grin. Despite the impulse to hide further in the folds of his scarf, he simply pulled Nott closer to him, a hand on her shoulder. 

“We-ah- have a delivery to make? Someone from your circus commissioned a piece of jewelry a couple of days ago and we were told to brought it here?” Caleb slid the order slip over to the tiefling, who raised an eyebrow and picked it up, looking at it for a split second before handing it off to the tall woman behind him. 

“A delivery, huh? Well, you’ll have to make it after the show- everyone’s pretty busy getting ready for their acts at the moment, I’m afraid,” There was something mischievous about the tiefling’s smile, and Caleb was certain they could solve his problem here and now if they really wanted to, but they clearly didn’t.

“How long does the show run, then? We can come back after, there will be someone here to take it?” 

“Come back? What’s the point of going all the way home- just stay and enjoy the show. I’ll even ask your generous patron to cover the cost of your seats- it’s a wonderful show. Now, why don’t you follow Yash to your seats- I’ve got more tickets to sell, stranger.” 

The tall woman behind them stood up straighter from her perch against the wall, flashing the both of them a smile and opening the curtain to the large tent, gesturing her head for them to step in. 

“Really- we can come back- there’s no need for this.” 

A hand came down on Caleb’s shoulder, lightly squeezing, and he flinched bodily, hands clenching into fists as he looked up at the tall woman. Her smile had taken a cool edge, something hard behind her eye. 

“You’ll like the show. And we’d like to be sure you’re not dropping something off to cause any trouble.” 

“It’s jewelry, not a bomb! Just ask what I was paid for!” Nott piped up from beside him, and Caleb settled his hand on her shoulder, holding her back from going after the large woman. Her sword wasn’t exactly hidden, after all. 

“Just being safe. And you’re getting to watch a five copper show for free- you should be grateful. Not often Molly lets people in on merit.” 

She led them to seats in the middle of the crowd, watching them sit down and then turning on her heel to go back to lingering in a shadow, leaning up against one of the posts of the tent. Caleb watched her go, reaching over to take Nott’s hand and leaning in to whisper in her ear.

“We’ll get out as soon as we can- but I understand their concern. The two of them are essentially bouncers, and we came to deliver a mysterious package and run away- I would be worried too. Might as well make this as easy as it can be.”

“Well, I don’t like it. And there’s too many people here, Cay- do you think any of them would notice?” 

Caleb looked around slowly, noticing the families settling down, the people with drinks in their hands, the energy buzzing through the room, “If you can’t keep your hands to yourself- wait until the lights are out. No one will suspect another member of the audience.” 

“I’ll be careful- promise.” 

She sat back, feet swinging off the ground, and slowly the tent continued to fill up. The people were packed into the circus- a full house. Good turnout for a last show in town, maybe the show would actually be interesting.

Maybe. 

The flickering torches in the corners of the room all began to dim at once, leaving only the ring in the center of the circus fully lit, and Caleb tried to force himself to relax. Shows like this happened all around the Empire, all the time. And only once in a blue moon were they traps like the voice in his head warned him about. 

The nervous man appeared in a puff of smoke, only he was much more confident in his Ringmaster outfit, gesturing grandly to the dais in the center of the circle. He spun a tale of fantasy and intrigue as a fire genasi danced around the dais, the flames in the room flaring up and dying down with her movements. 

If Caleb could say one thing about this circus, it was that it was engaging. Every act flowed into the next, and each one slotted into the Ringmaster’s artfully narrated story, an interconnected tale that was certainly entirely false, but had a lot of thought put into it, at least. 

Again, the light changed, this time going out entirely, causing several patrons of the circus to shriek, left in complete darkness. Caleb blinked, trying without success to find some light that would give him an idea of what was happening. He was a moment from casting Dancing Lights and ruining the illusion when a flash of light cut through the shadow.

Quite literally cut- a moment’s focus revealed that the glow was emanating from a blade- no, a pair of blades, swirling through the air. 

“Pity the moon isn’t out tonight- I guess firelight will have to do.” 

The voice was familiar and Caleb looked for the source- the same person holding and tossing the swords, presumably. Slowly, the fires around the tent came back to life, revealing the same purple tiefling from the entry tent, hanging upside down from a trapeze hoop in the center of the ring. 

A grin was on their face, all of their weight held up by their legs and core as they tossed the swords up again, catching them in opposite hands and then sliding them into small loops attached to the trapeze to free up their hands. 

Almost immediately, the crowd began to applaud, realizing that the tiefling had been juggling the swords in the dark- and upside down, apparently. If they hadn’t climbed up onto the hoop right before the lights went up. Caleb wasn’t entirely sure on that matter. 

But then, he wasn’t really thinking about that at the moment. 

The tiefling had changed out of the loud coat they’d been wearing at the card table, instead wearing a skin-tight suit with flowing translucent fabric hanging from the arms, flowing out from their elbows to flutter in the air as they hoisted themself up onto the trapeze, doing a handstand and a split in mid air. 

Somewhere in the back of his mind, Caleb was aware that music had begun to play, taking the place of the Ringmaster’s narration. And that the tiefling’s routine was carefully choreographed, the spins and lifts timed with sweeping motions in the music. But he was much more focused on the movements themselves, admiring the tiefling’s grace and strength as they hung onto the hoop, sometimes swinging only by the chiffon ribbons of their clothes. 

The tiefling grabbed their swords before making a final jump off of the hoop, somersaulting in the air and sheathing the swords mid-spin. They transitioned smoothly into a deep bow, and for just a split second, before they tilted their hands down, Caleb thought he saw slices across their palms. 

Pain of the trade, perhaps- Caleb couldn’t imagine the wear and tear it must take to hold onto a metal ring for that long. 

But he didn’t have much time to concern himself with cuts that may or may not have been there. The lights went out again, though this time just for a brief blackout before the Ringmaster reappeared, thanking the audience for their vital participation and support. And then the ambient light of the tent rose, and people began leaving their seats, wandering back out through the entry tent under the watchful eye of the tall woman. 

“Do you think that was the same tiefling, or are they twins? Can tieflings be twins?” 

Caleb looked down at Nott with a little smile, shrugging, “It’s not common- and even less common that they’d be identical. Tieflings are influenced by Infernal magic, after all- not uh. Genetics. But no- that was the same tiefling. The tattoos were the same- and if I were an identical twin I would not get the same tattoos as my brother.” 

Nott’s rough little laugh was his reward for the joke as she got up, grabbing his hand, “Come on. Let’s see if they’ll let us give this MT their jewelry- we gotta be getting home before the guards come knocking about excessive noise.” 

“Ja. You’re right about that.” 

Caleb got up, following her to the edge of the tent, stopping next to the tall woman, who turned to him with a small smile, a little softer than before- possibly because they hadn’t tried to blow the place up. 

“Did you like the show, then? You don’t seem disappointed.” 

“It was good- but we’re not usually out this late. We were hoping we could deliver the commission now, so we could be getting home?” 

The tall woman looked over his shoulder, back at the ring, as if considering something before she nodded, gesturing for them to follow her and signing something quickly to the half-orc across the tent. He moved, taking her place at the door as she led them back to another door. 

“Molly should be changed by now, or at least decent enough to see you. Follow me.”

“Molly?” Caleb froze in his tracks, head tilted in confusion, “The fortune teller? And the- ah- trapeze artist? The one who sent us in here?” 

The tall woman’s expression made it clear she was confused by his question, eyebrow raised, “Yes. Do you know another Molly at this circus? Last I checked there wasn’t one.” 

“Nein, no, I don’t know any Mollys. But. If they were the one who ordered the jewelry, why did they make us watch the circus? They could have just taken it at the door?” 

She chuckled, hiding her mouth behind her hand as she started walking again, prompting Caleb and Nott to follow along, “Oh, but that wouldn’t be ostentatious enough for their tastes. Mollymauk is nothing if not over-the-top. Plus, they don’t keep that kind of money on them at the front desk.” 

Stopping in front of a tent with a torch burning inside, the woman cleared her throat, “Molly, your jewelry’s ready. Put some pants on.”

“I’ve got pants on, Yasha. Just pants, but pants,” The tiefling poked their head out of the tent, grinning wide enough to flash their fangs. Their grin only seemed to get larger when they caught sight of Caleb and Nott, stepping all the way out of the tent- indeed, only in a pair of well-fitted leather pants. 

Odd sleepwear, if you asked Caleb. 

“I do appreciate you bringing it all the way here- my last cuff broke during my last performance and I’ve been needing a new one,” Producing a coin purse from some unknown pocket, Mollymauk held it out to them. 

Nott grabbed the pouch, crossing her arms and huffing up at the tiefling before pulling the jewelry box out of her rucksack, tossing it at them. Mollymauk caught it without even looking at it, opening it with a smile. 

“Gorgeous- Gustav was right to pick your shop. I’ll have to remember you next time we come through- what’s this place called?” 

“Zadash. But I don’t think we should be expecting you back soon, right? Circuses don’t exactly come to the same place twice.” 

“Not often. But who knows, we did well here. Maybe we’ll come back.”

Still half clothed, Mollymauk took the filigree cuff from it’s box, locking it around the base of one of their horns and tilting their head so the firelight of a nearby torch caught it. They looked up at Yasha, who nodded, reaching out to flick one of the hanging jewels.

“Very you.” 

“Thanks again- and I hope you liked my show,” Mollymauk turned back to them, winking at Caleb and causing the tips of his ears to burn, thankfully hidden by the locks of hair falling into his face. 

“You are very- ah. Skilled. At what you do.” 

“The word most people use is flexible, but I’ll take skilled.” 

A pealing laugh escaped their lips and they winked again before turning back to their tent. “Yash can show you back to the road- it can be confusing navigating this place at night. And maybe I’ll stop by to see you both again in the daylight. Everything’s different under the moon, you know.” 

Mollymauk left Caleb no opportunity to question what they meant by that, ducking into the tent and closing the flap behind them. And Yasha was quick to lead them back to the exit of the carnival, bowing when they reached the line of lanterns that led back into town. 

“Thank you for your visit. We hope you enjoyed the show.” 

With that, she turned away, presumably to go back to her tent or to help clean up the grand tent. 

Head spinning, Caleb was only half-present for the walk back to the shop, falling into a chair and lighting the fireplace with a wave of his hand once they were inside. Nott looked him over with a worried eye, standing in front of him with her hands on her hips.

“Cay? Anybody home in there?” 

“Ja. Ja, I am fine. Thank you, Nott. Just a lot happened today and I need to. Calm down.” 

She nodded, coming forward to give him a quick hug and pat his shoulder- easier to reach since he was sitting. “Okay. Well. If you need anything I’ll be in my room. I love you, Caleb.” 

“You too, Nott.” 

Nott was halfway to the stairs out of the shop and into their rooms when she turned around, expression suspicious, “Do you think that tiefling is gonna stop by tomorrow?” 

“I don’t know, Nott. But… I think I’d like it if they did.” 

His words surprised himself, and it was clear they surprised Nott too, her eyes going wide for a moment before narrowing, filing the information away.

“Hmm. Alright. Well. Maybe they will, then. Goodnight, Caleb.” 

“Guten nacht, Mäuschen.” 

Pouring himself a cup of tea, Caleb stared into his reflection in the dark glass window of the shop, but he wasn’t seeing himself. Instead, in his mind’s eye, a purple tiefling hung from a trapeze, winking at him and sticking their tongue out. 

Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to visit the circus again after all- or hope the circus came to visit him.

**Author's Note:**

> while this is technically a one shot i'm extremely tempted to write a second chapter/second installment where they get together. very tempted.


End file.
